Automatic fire-alarm box



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. C. HESS. AUTOMATIC PIRE ALARM BOX. No. 310,424. f. Patented Jan. 6, 1885.

I p A,

A( il' :l I||l i imm" A mi H1 f I l M 1MM M u 'nA-iu; rflu 1' r f 1: Millan@ L |I I n M A v ./UI'II'BU.

v@To Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. C. HESS. AUTOMATIC, PIRE ALARM BOX- No. 310,424. Patented Jan. 6, 1885.

I l l l l lIL INVL'JVTR Wizam 6.366 S,

U "l l "1555155 M/f. COMM@ UNTTnn STATES) PATENT Ormea VILLTAM CHARLES HESS, OF LOUISVILL il, KENTUCKY.

AUTOMATIC FIRE-ALARM BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 3lO,-24, dated January 6, 1885.

Application filed April 19, 1584. (No model.)

To cir/ZZ whom it may concern.-

Beit known that I, WILLIAM C. Huss, a citizen of the United States, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jeii'erson and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Fire-Alarm Boxes, of which the following is a specifica` tion, reference being had thereinto the accompanying drawings.

My invention has for its object to improve the construction of automatic iire-alarm-signal boxes which are used for sending in signals to a central office from stations in a firealarm circuit.

My invention consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of devices for putting in motion the mechanism of a tirealarm box by opening the door of the box, and in the novel construction of the inclosingbox, and the combination of the same with its inelosed devices, whereby access may be had to the signal-key and its connections without opening the main door of the box and operating the automatic mechanism.

The invention will be full y understood 4from the following particular1 description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a front elevation of a signal-box provided with my improvements, both the doors being open. Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section ofthe casing, with the operative parts shown in full lines. Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the tripping and stopping devices.

, The letter A indicates a spring-motor of ordinary construction,having two sp ri ngs, which are not shown, and two main wheels, B B, which are driven by the springs in the usual manner. From these main wheels rotary motion is transmitted by suitable gearing to a shaft,G,which carries abreak or signal wheel, D. In the train between main wheels is geared by a suitable pinion the shaft c, carrying a disk, E, which is arranged to make one revolution in the same time that the break-wheel makes six revolutions. This disk is arranged at the front of the train, below the shaft which carries the break-whee and has in its margin anotch or open slot, e. llo the front of the frame of the mechanism is pivoted a lever, F, beveled at its lower end, and

carrying above its pivot an inwardly-projecting flat arm, j", having an upwardly-open notch, f2, arranged to embrace the margin of l disk E, and having a proper thickness to allow it to enter the slot cl in said disk. From the upper end of the lever F projects an arm, g, against which bears a spring, h, tending to press the upper end of the lever F outward, so that if the arm f be coincident with thc slot c2 in the disk E it will be forced into said slot,and thus prevent rotation of the disk when the motive mechanism is wound up. If, while the arm f is holding the disk, it should be pressed inward and disengaged therefrom, the disk will begin to rotate and carry its slot eAl away from said ar mf, and if the upper end ofthe lever F is then allowed to be pressed outward by the spring lz. the edge of the arm f which forms the rear wall of its notch will simply bear against the back surface of the disk E, allowing said disk to make a full revolution, and again engaging the slot c2 when the revolution is completed. As before stated, the shaft of this disk is so geared in the tra-in that it makes one revolution while the shaft of the brealcwhecl makes six, and therefore every time the disk is released the break-wheel will make six revolutions and repeat its signal six times before it is arrested.

It will be observed that the lever F extends below the train in order that it may be operatcd by a tripping device attached to the door of the box. This tripping 'device is a spring, I, having one end secured to the door of the box and projecting therefrom, so that it will extend into the box when the door is closed. On the projecting end of this spring is a beveled head or catch, k, the beveled surface 7; of which strikes the beveled end of the lever F when the door is nearly closed, so that by a further inward movement l of the door the end ofthe lever F is caused to force downward the catch k, so that it will pass under said lever and swing up behind it, as shown in full lines, Fig. 2. If, while the catch 7a is thus engaged with the lever F, the door be open, it is obvious that said catch will force outward the lower end of the lever, causing its upper end to move inward, so that the arm f will release the disk E; and in order to disengage the catch k from the lever F after it has performed its tripping function, I pro-I IOO vide the spring I with an upwardly-projecting lug, Z, which will strike the beveled edge of a plate, M, supported by legsm over the spring. This lug is arranged to strike beveled inner edge of said plate, and thus force the spring downward, so that the catch 7s will release the lever F after it has drawn the lower end of said lever outward sufiiciently. The outer edge of the plate M is also beveled,so that it will strike the lug Z and force the spring downward as it enters the box, so that it will be directed properly under the lever F. The line-wires L and I] are shown as connected with bindingposts p and pof the lightning-arrester. From the post p a wire, tu, leads to the post piwhich is connected by a wire, w', to the metallic frame-work of the motor, and through the frame-work to the break-wheel D. From the insulated spring O, whichbears upon t-hebrcakwheel D, a wire, wg, leads to insulated binding-post p", and from said post awire, it, leads to base ot' a key, Y. From the insulated anvil y a wire, wt, leads to the binding-post p ofthe lightning-arrester Y which is composed of two plates, c c, in proximity to the points of two pointed screws, s s, supported in a metallic bracket-,11'l This bracket has a bindingpost, ci, which is to be connected to ground by a suitable wire, as shown at 20". It will be seen that the box-circuit includes the key Y, arranged to break said circuit when desired. This key is arranged upon a hori- Zontal partition, g, which divides the box into two compartments, X and X, the lower compartment containing the lightning-arrest.- er, and also having extending downwardly into it a stem, gj, connected with the key Y, so that the key may be operated from this lower compartment without opening the upper compartment, which is closed by the upper door, Z, while the lower compartment is closedbythelower door, Z. rlhese two doors are entirelyindependent ot'each other, and are both accessible without requiring any other door to be first opened. The advantage of having these doors accessible and operating independently of each other is that when it is desired to test the box the lower door may be opened and access had to the key for signaling to the central ofiice the information that the box is about to be tested, so that the attendant at the central office will understand vthat the signal which is immediately afterward turned in by opening the upper door is simply a test-signal. The independent accessibility ofthe signal-key has the further advantage that an authorized person may, by using it, at any time communicate with the central. office from any signal-box station without interfering with the automatic iire-alarm mechanism.

Having new described my invention and explained the operation thereof, I claiml. In an automatic iraalarm mechanism, the combination, with a trigpinglever, F, arranged to trip the mechanism into operation, of the spring I, secured to the door of the inclosing-box, and provided with the catch It, ar ranged to slide by and catch behind said lever, the lug Z, projecting' from said spring, and the suitably-supported plate M, having a beveled edge arranged to strike said lug and force the spring downward when the latter is moved outward by the opening of the door, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic fire-alarm mechanism, the combination, with the break-wheel D, of

the disk E, included in the train with saidV break-wheel, and having the slot ci, the lever F, having one end normally pressed outward by a spring, and provided with the notched arm f, arranged to embrace the margin of said disk when in motion, and to enter the slot of said disk for arresting the same, and a tripping device attached to a door ot'acasc inclos ing the mechanism, and arranged to move thc lever for releasing the disk when the door is opened, substantially as described.

8. A lire-alarin-signal box having two conipartments provided with independently-accessible doors, one compartment containing automatic fire-signal mechanism arranged to be tripped into operation by the opening of the door of said compartment, and the other compartment containing a signaling device or devices connected with the automatic inechanism, but accessible through the door of its own compartment and without 4interfering with said automatic mechanism, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

XVILLIAM CHARLES HESS.

XVitnesses:

A. GERNLEIN, J r., Jas. T. A. BAKER. 

